Self-playing piano.



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E. J. KNABE,J1 SELF PLAYING PIANO.

APPLIUATIOK FILED NOV 15 1905 PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. E. J. KNABE, JR.

SELF PLAYING PIANO. APPLIOATIONI'ILED NOV.-15. 1905.

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7 8mm- E77Z66 v.1 K756151134]? I (M -a No. 839,602. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. B. J. KNABE, JR.

SELF PLAYING PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15. 1905.

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W do I gum/"Magi UNITED STATFSgPATENT OFFIG ERNEST J. KNABE, JR., OF BA LTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM KNABE & COMPANY MANUFACTURING COMPANY. OF

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

SELF-PLAYING PIANO- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

, Application filed November 1 5, 1905. Serial 110387.516.

To (LU/whens it puny concern:

Be it known-that I, ERNEST J. KNABE, Jr.,

- a citizen of .the United States, residing at gages in a recess catch being carried by a rod h, which rod is,

Baltimore, in theState of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Playing Pianos; and I do hereby declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description 0% the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in self-playing pianos; and the object of my invention is to provide simple means for counterbalancing the bellows-pedals, sothat the footboard thereof when released will drop out a little way and then may slowly brought. down to its With these objects in view my invention onsists in the construction and. combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is side View of.a portion of a piano with the end casing removed, showing my improve ment. Fig. 2 is a front view of a part thereof, showing the pedals and counterbalancingspring. Fig. 3 is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of the self-playing attachment when ppened. F ig. 4 is a section on the line.4 4 of 1g. 5. the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a'central section showing the means for preventing the lever 7) from falling too far; and Fi 7 is an end view of .the same lookingin the direction of thGlfiITOVV on Fig. 6.

a represents the pneumatic box; I), the bellows;'c, the spring for-moving the beilows, and d the footboard hinged to the pianoframe at 6, all these parts being ofthe usual type. The footboard is normally locked in position by means of a catch 7, which en-v g of the footboard, said normally held in its uppermost position, so that the catch f will engage with the footf board by means of'a sp'rin i. y' represents a rod for lowering the rod 7%, provided with a handle 19.. The inner end of the rod is bent at'rightxangles, and this angledportion enbe easily and.

Fig. 5 isa cross-section thereof ongages the to of the rod h, so that by turning the handle the rod h is forced down, thus disengaging the catch f from the footboard. To the lower end of the bellows is attached a link Z, the other end of which is attached to the lower end of the bell-crank lever m, the upper end of which is sup orted by a fixed pivot n. To .the bell-cran lever m at the oint 0 is pivoted. the short arm of a second hell-crank lever p, which is provided with a roller g on its outer end. The parts m and p are so arranged that they slightly overla at their lower extremities, so that when fo ded out, as shown in Fig. 3, the lon arm of the lever p and the short arm of the Fever m form a straight line, makin them practically a continuous lever when 1n that position. I

The art m is provided with a projection m. e lever p is cut away, as shown at p, and is arranged to fit against the projection "or crossiece m. This prevents the lever p from alling too far beyond the position shown in Fig. 3. v 1" represents the pedals for the self-playing attachment. -The outer ends of these pedals are pivoted on the top of the folded out. n represents a shaft carried by brackets v on the front part of the lower end of the pneumatic box a, and this shaft is fixed byv means of thepin w, which passes thereon, although it is capable of adjustment therein. it represents a pulley loosely mounted on the shaft u, and to the outer face of this pulley is fixed a flat flexible band 2 which is attached at the point z to the front of the footboard d in the center thereof A fiat coiled spring 3 is-fastened to theshaft u at one end andto the pulley as at the other end. For convenience in manufacture one head of the pulley is removable, as shown in Fig. 5, and is fastened to the body of the pulley by screws. 3 will wholly or partially overcome the influence of gravity on the footboard d. when the latter is released, and by adjusting it to theproper tension it may be made to resist the-action of gravity on said footboard and the connected parts to any desired extent.

Having thus described my invention, what It is obvious that. the spring through said shaft and one of the brackets I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is' v 1. In a self-playing piano, the combination with the piano-frame, of a hand-lever pivoted to the front'of said frame, a footboard hinged to said frame, means for locking said footboard, connections whereby the .n1ove 'ment of said hand-lever unlocks said footboard, and means adapted to move said footboard outward when it is unlocked, substantially as described.

2. In a self-' laylng piano, the combination with the piano-frame, of a footboard normally held up against said frame, meansi'or counterbalancing said footboard, and means adapted to throw said footboard outward,

when it is unlocked, against the action -of the counterbalancing means, substantially as described.

3. In a self-playing piano, the combination with the piano-frame, of a footboard hinged. thereto, means for locking said footboard against said frame, means for counterbalancing said footboard and a spring for forcibly throwing said footboard outward a short distance after it has been unlocked, substantiallyas described.

, 4. In a self-playing piano, the combination of the frame thereof, a footboard hi-n ed to 'said frame,- means for locking said foot card to said frame, pedals pivoted to said footboard at one end, connections between the other end of each of said pedals and the frame of the piano, a spring associated with said footboard, and adapted to resist. the downward movement of saidfootboard,,and a spring adapted to'forcesaid footboard outwardly until it"is resisted by said first-named swinging said-footboard outwardly and re-- .silient means resisting the action of gravity on said swinging footboard when it. is unlocked and swung out, substantially as described. 1

6. In a selfplaying piano, the combination I with the piano-frame, of a footboard nor- ,mally held up against said frame, means for resiliently resistmgthe action of gravity on said footboard when it is unlocked, and

means adapted to throw said footboard outwardwhenit is unlocked against the action of the resisting means, substantially as 'described.

7. In a self-playing piano, the combination. with the piano frame, of a footboard normally held up against said frame, means for counterbalan'cing said footboard, and means for ositively throwing said footboard outwar when it is unlocked, against the action of the counterbalancing means, substantially as described.

8. In a self-playing piano, the'combinati'on with the. piano-frame, of a footboard hinged thereto, means for Locking said foot' board against said frame, means for counter balancing said footboard, and a spring for forcibly throwing said footboard outward a short distance after it hasbeen unlocked,

substantially as described.

9. In a self playmg piano,

tion of pneumatic devices, a movable footsaid pedals and said neumatic devices for operating the latter, a ock securing said footboard against the piano-frame, means for swinging said footboard outwardly," and resilientmeans resisting the action of gravity on said swinging footboard when it is unlocked and swung out, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses' ERNEST J. KNABE, JR.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. HrLnEBRAND'r,

DOLB.

the combinaboard carrying pedals, connections between; 

